Dodgers Return to World Series

The Los Angeles Dodgers have reached the World Series for the second consecutive season, defeating the Milwaukee Brewers 5-1 to win game seven of the NLCS.

There’s nothing more exciting in sports than a Game 7, and after an entire marathon season featuring numerous peaks and valleys, it all came down to one game to fulfill the singular goal of advancing to the World Series for a chance at a championship and baseball immortality.

Walker Buehler was the starting pitcher for the Dodgers, and at age 24, he became the third youngest pitcher in franchise history to start a winner-take-all postseason game.

Jhoulys Chacin got the start for the Brewers. Coming into the game, he hadn’t yet given up an earned run in 10.1 innings of work this postseason.

Chacin is a righty, and Dave Roberts went with basically his typical lineup against right-handed starting pitchers with some minor alterations.

Chris Taylor got the start at second base in a somewhat surprising move. He had only two starts at second base after August 20 during the regular season and usually doesn’t get starts against righties.

Craig Counsell decided to go with the same defensive lineup and batting order he deployed in the Brewers game six victory for this crucial game seven.

The Brewers struck in the bottom of the first when Christian Yelich hit a solo home run to right field that just barely cleared the glove of the leaping Yasiel Puig.

The Dodgers responded immediately, as Cody Bellinger hit a two-run homer in the top of the second after Manny Machado led off the inning by beating out a bunt.

Jonathan Schoop pinch-hit for Chacin after two innings of work. Chacin finished with two innings pitched and gave up two earned runs, three hits, and a walk.

Schoop came up to the plate with two outs in the bottom of the second with runners on second and first but grounded out to Turner to end the inning.

Josh Hader came into the game for the Brewers in the top of the third. With the lefty now on the mound, right-handed batter Kike Hernandez pinch-hit for the lefty Joc Pederson.

Hernandez proceeded to strike out, and Hader then struck out Max Muncy and then got Turner to fly out to left field to end the inning.

Domingo Santana pinch-hit for Hader in the bottom of the fifth, and Buehler was able to strike him out before giving up a double to Lorenzo Cain the next at-bat.

Roberts decided to pull Buehler after the double to Cain. With the lefty Yelich due up next, left-handed pitcher Julio Urias was brought in to face him.

Taylor, who had moved to left field when Hernandez came in for Pederson, made a sliding catch running towards the wall to save a run and preserve the 2-1 lead for the Dodgers to end the fifth inning.

Buehler finished with 4.2 innings pitched, allowing one earned run and six hits while striking out seven batters.

Hader logged three innings pitched and allowed no earned runs, one hit, and one walk while striking out four.

Xavier Cedeno took the mound for the Brewers in the top of the sixth. He gave up a single to Muncy and was promptly pulled for Jeremy Jeffress.

Turner singled off Jeffress to move Muncy to second, and then Jeffress got Machado to fly out and then got Bellinger to ground into a fielder’s choice.

Puig came up with runners at the corners with two outs. Bellinger stole second, which put two runners in scoring position for Puig.

Puig responded by smacking a scorching three-run homer to left center to give the Dodgers a 5-1 lead.

Cedeno was responsible for Muncy, and Jeffress was charged with the Turner, Bellinger, and Puig runs that resulted from the homer.

Jeffress walked Taylor on four pitches immediately following the Puig home run but then got out of the inning by striking out Austin Barnes.

Ryan Madson took the hill next for the Dodgers in the bottom of the sixth. Madson retired the next three Brewers hitters one-two-three to end the inning.

Jeffress struck out Madson to begin the top of the seventh, but then gave up an infield single to Hernandez and was pulled for Corey Knebel.

Jeffress finished his appearance with 1.1 innings pitched and two earned runs, three hits, and one walk allowed.

Hernadez was thrown out attempting to steal second base, and Knebel got out of the inning by striking out Muncy.

Madson stayed on the mound and got two outs in the seventh, but was pulled after giving up a single to Orlando Arcia.

Here’s one for you Keith. It isn’t always the best team that wins the Series. it’s the team that manages to peak during those 7 games (or 4,5 or 6 games as the case may be). Sometimes it’s even one guy (often not the star of the team) who has an insane series and carries the team on his shoulders. I expect the Sox to win this thing but I wouldn’t be at all surprised to be wrong about that.

Win or lose, I’m not going to complain,the way the team played at times this year, I didn’t expect the team to get this far. I’m glad the team kept faith in themselves, because at times I had lost mine. This front office has done a great job of putting a bullpen together, when they didn’t pick up anybody of significance for the pen at the July dead line I thought we were toast, good thing I’m not in charge.
I thought doc got out coached in the first two games, he did a nice job of getting it back together, against some pretty unorthodox moves from Counsell. Kudos to doc. Another thing nobody has mentioned about the Aguilar, machado incident is, I think Aguilar was trying to intimidate the dodgers by staying on the bag so long, aguilar had a lot of foot and backside on that bag, he had plenty of time to get away from the bag. Good for Manny, to not let Aguilar intimidate him.